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Football refers to a number of sports that involve, to 

varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a 

goal. Unqualified, the word football is understood to 

refer to whichever form of football is the most popular in 

the regional context in which the word appears: 

association football (also known as soccer) in the United 

Kingdom; gridiron football (specifically American football 

or Canadian football) in the United States and Canada; 

Australian rules football or rugby league in different 

areas of Australia; Gaelic football in Ireland; and rugby 

football (specifically rugby union) in New Zealand.These 

different variations of football are known as football 

codes.

Soccer (Football)

The sport of soccer (called football in most of the world) 

is considered to be the world's most popular sport. In 

soccer there are two teams of eleven players. Soccer is 

played on a large grass field with a goal at each end. The 

object of the game is to get the soccer ball into the 

opposing team's goal. The key to soccer is that, with the 

exception of the goalie, players cannot touch the ball with 

their hands, they can only kick, knee, or head the ball to 

advance it or score a goal.

Soccer is played at all levels throughout the world from 

small kids leagues to professional and international 

teams. Perhaps the most famous soccer tournament is 

the World Cup. Held every four years, the World Cup is a 

soccer competition among countries and is one of the 

most watched events in the world.

One of the reasons soccer is so popular is that it really 

only takes a ball and a flat open area to play. Kids 

throughout the world will make up fields and goals just 

about anywhere and start playing the game. The game is 

also fun and competitive. 

Soccer is a great form of exercise as there is lots of 

running for good distances. The sport is also a good test 

of dexterity and a great way to learn balance. 

Many people consider soccer at its highest level to be so 

beautiful as to be practically an art form. The skill at 

which great players and great soccer teams work the 

ball, strategize, and flow as one can be an awesome 

thing to watch. 

Soccer: Rules and Regulations

When the ball is in play the rules of soccer are fairly 

simple. You cannot touch the ball with your hands or 

arms intentionally unless you are the goalie. You cannot 

foul another player or be offside (these soccer rules are 

described below). Other than that, the main rules of 

soccer are around the starting and stopping of play. 

The Starting and Stopping of Soccer Play 

At the start of a soccer period or after a goal, there is a 

kick-off from the center circle. At the kick-off all of the 

soccer players must be on their side of the field (the side 

they are defending). Only the player kicking the kick-off 

is allowed inside the center circle. After the kick-off the 

ball will be in play until the ball goes out of bounds or the 

referee calls a penalty. 

Other ways of restarting soccer include: 

Throw-in: When the soccer ball has gone out of bounds, 

the team that last touched the ball loses possession and 

the opposing team gets to throw-in the ball from the 

point where the ball crossed out of bounds. 

Corner kick: When the defending team last touches the 

ball and it crosses the goal line (and not scoring a goal), 

the opposing team gets to kick the ball from the corner 

of the field. 

Goal kick: When the offensive team last touches the ball 

before it crosses the goal line, the goalie gets to kick the 

ball from the goal box. 

Penalty kick: When a foul occurs in the penalty area, the 

fouled team is awarded a penalty kick.

Soccer Fouls 

Soccer fouls can be any number of unfair advantages 

taken by a player that are called by the referee. These 

can include tripping, pushing, and touching the ball with 

the hands. Free kicks or penalty kicks may be awarded to 

the opposing soccer team. Very unsportsmanlike 

behavior may result in a yellow card or a red card. 

Players that get red cards are ejected from the game. 

Offside Rule 

The offensive player is offside if they are nearer to the 

opponent's goal line than both the second and last 

opponent and the soccer ball. 

Out of Bounds 

Out of bounds occurs when the ball completely crosses 

over the boundary line.

Throw-in 

When throwing the ball in at throw-in, the ball must be 

thrown from behind and over the head using both hands. 

When the ball leaves the thrower's hands, both of his/her 

feet must be touching the ground. 

The Soccer Ball 

The soccer ball is spherical (round) and made of leather. 

For FIFA soccer, the ball must have a circumference of 

27 to 28 inches and weigh between 14 and 16 ounces. 

However, there are other sizes that are used for different 

ages of kid's competition.

Size 3 - this is generally the smallest ball and is used for 

players under 8 years old. Its circumference is 23-24 

inches.

Size 4 - Used for players 8 to 12 years old. It has a 25 to 

26 inch circumference.

Size 5 - This is the standard sized ball (27 - 28 inches) 

and is usually used for players older than 12.

Uniforms and Kit 

The uniforms for soccer players consist of a jersey and 

shorts. Players on the same team wear the same colored 

uniforms generally with a number and name on the back 

of the jersey. The goalkeepers wear a uniquely colored 

jersey so they will stand out to referees during play. 

When you take everything that soccer players wear 

together, it's called the "kit". The kit includes the jersey, 

shorts, socks, cleats and shoes, and shin guards. 

Goalkeepers often wear gloves as well. 

Shin Guards 

Shin guards, or shin pads, are required. They help 

protect the front of the leg, or shin, from getting injured 

and bruised. Shin guards must fit under the socks. 

Goalies and forwards generally have the lightest weight 

shin guards while midfielders and, especially, defensemen 

wear heavier, more sturdy shin guards. 

Try to get shin guards that are comfortable and don't 

hinder your running too much, but at the same time offer 

good protection. Even if they seem really uncomfortable 

at first, you will get used to them after a while, and when 

you get kicked in the shin really hard, you will be glad 

you have them! 

Other Equipment Rules 

Players are responsible for wearing equipment that will 

not endanger themselves or other players. This includes 

wearing jewelry or sharp spikes on the shoes. 

Fun Facts

Adidas has supplied the World Cup ball since 1970. Each 

ball has a unique design and name. The 2010 World Cup 

ball was the Jabulani.

Shin guards were invented in 1874 by Samuel 

Widdowson, a player for Nottingham Forest.

Professional soccer jerseys often have the logo of team 

sponsors right on the jersey. This advertising makes lots 

of money for the team.

The exact specifications for the ball are defined in Law 2 

of the Laws of the Game.

How big is the soccer field? 

The soccer field, or football pitch, is flexible in size. It is 

100 to 130 yards (90-120m) long and 50 to 100 yards 

(45-90m) wide. In international play the field dimensions 

are a bit stricter in that the length must be 110 to 120 

yards (100 - 110m) long and 70 to 80 yards (64 - 75m) 

wide. 

An additional rule is that the length has to be longer than 

the width, so you couldn't have a square field of 100 

yards by 100 yards. 

Even though these are the official rules, many kid's 

soccer games are played on even smaller fields than the 

minimum. Although the length and width are flexible, 

other areas of the field are generally fixed in size. 

The Goal 

At each end of the field is the goal. The goal is 8 yards 

wide and 8 feet high and is placed at the center of the 

goal line. They have nets to catch the ball so you don't 

have to chase it, plus it helps the referee to determine if 

a goal was scored.

The Boundary 

The boundary of the field is drawn with lines. The lines on 

sides, or the long side of the field, are called the touch 

lines or side lines. The lines at the end of the field are 

called the goal lines or end lines. 

The Center 

At the middle of the field is the center line which cuts the 

field in half. At the very center of the field is the center 

circle. The center circle is 10 yards in diameter.

Goal Area - The goal area is a box that extends 6 yards 

out from the goal posts. Free kicks are taken from this 

area.

Penalty Area - The penalty area is a box that extends 18 

yards out from the goal posts. In this area the 

goalkeeper may use their hands. Also, any penalty by the 

defense in this area will result in a penalty kick from the 

penalty mark.

Penalty Mark - This is the spot where the ball is placed 

for penalty kicks. It is at the center of the goal and 12 

yards away from the goal line.

Penalty Arc - This is a small arc at the top of the penalty 

box. Players other than the goalkeeper and kicker may 

not enter this area during a penalty kick.

The Corners 

At each corner is a flag post and a corner arc. The corner 

arc is 1 yard in diameter. The ball must be placed within 

this arc for corner kicks. Flag posts must be at least 5 

feet tall to prevent injury. 

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